


Splintered Bond

by EtherealNova



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Angst with no happy ending, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, DarkTiger, Darkstripe is an asshat, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, GrayFire (Mentioned only), Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Swearing, Not Beta Read, One - sided, Oneshot, SilverGray (Mentioned only), The Darkest Hour, The Prophecies Begin, first fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:09:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26333878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherealNova/pseuds/EtherealNova
Summary: While out on a hunting patrol, Graystripe happens upon a raggedy, dark gray cat that was once a feirce warrior of Thunderclan - and his half - brother. While going to investigate this intruder's intention, Graystripe shares a few choice words with his sibling about his latest stunts.(AKA If Graystripe and Darkstripe being half - brothers was actually addressed during the first arc.)Takes place during The Darkest Hour, in between Tigerstar's death and the Bloodclan battle.
Relationships: Past Darkstripe/Tigerstar (One Sided)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 27





	Splintered Bond

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic!!! (or at least the first one I actually finished and posted...)
> 
> It always bothered me how Gray and Dark's siblinghood is never brought up, especially since it would've made some scenes between them that much more dramatic (i.e Gray killing Dark) so I wrote up a scene between them where Gray confronts his brother about all the awful stuff he's done to fill the sibling angst shaped hole in my sibling angst shaped heart
> 
> Also rated teen bc swears these cats have dirty mouths

Graystripe padded along the forest floor, ears pricked for any sign of prey - or remaining Tigerclan members that still lurked on the territory. It had been a full day and a half since Tigerclan’s disbanding after their leader’s brutal death at the claws of Scourge, and though most went back to their respective clans, a few stragglers were left behind to live as rouges. One of which, Graystripe thought, could spring up at any moment to avenge the cat he had followed so blindly.

Suddenly, Graystripe stopped. He could scent something - not prey, but the stench of carrion and Thunderpath; and under that, something familiar. Whitestorm and Longtail, who had gone on a hunting patrol with him, halted as well.

“Is something the matter, Graystripe?” Whitestorm asked, a hint of concern laced his voice.

The gray tom shook his head. “It’s - ...nothing. Why don’t you two go on ahead? I’ll stay here and give one last check for anything we missed.”

Whitestorm and Longtail both gave him a skeptical look, but nodded anyway. “If you insist.” the Thunderclan deputy replied, the two stalking off and leaving Graystripe to his own.

Graystripe then headed toward the source of the scent, knowing full well who it belonged to. What he did want to know was why his brother came here after all that’s happened.

\---

Darkstripe tried to pull a particularly stubborn knot from his fur, to no avail. He gave a frustrated huff and set his head back down in his makeshift nest, about to settle in for a nap, when he noticed a large, fluffy shadow loom over him.

For a moment, there was a spark of hope in his heart that he would turn around and see Tigerstar, who would welcome him back with open arms. But Darkstripe knew the truth. He saw Tigerstar getting sliced open and bleed out onto the ground. He heard the cries of fear and desperation escape his leader as he died nine times over. Tigerstar was gone. Tigerclan was gone. The dreams and plans of ruling the forest together as leader and deputy, of finally earning Tigerstar’s love that he had strived so long for, was gone. All that was left was a thin, mangey, pitiful display sulking away on his former clan’s own territory.

Darkstripe gave a groan as he rolled over and heaved himself off the ground to see the approaching cat. He flinched for a moment when his eyes met Graystripe’s, before giving a low growl and turning away once more.

Graystripe looked on at the husk before him, a hint of shock grazed his face. Though Darkstripe hadn’t been a rouge for long, the toll it took on him was already obvious. His fur was tangled and dusty from neglect, his ribs were visible through his skin, and his eyes looked bloodshot and sunken in. Had he not been taking short, ragged breaths, Graystripe would have assumed he was dead.

“What do you want?” Darkstripe hissed at his visitor. “Here to finish what you’ve started? Go ahead. Kill me. It won’t change anything.”

Graystripe simply shook his head. “No, Darkstripe. I’m not going to kill you. You may not be an honorable warrior, but I still am. And honorable warriors don’t need to kill.”

The dark gray cat sat up to glare at his sibling. “Then why are you here? To beg me to come back and help your little clan fight? To convince me to return to life as a Thunderclan cat? Are you really that desperate?”

Graystripe shook his head once again. “No. No one can forgive what you’ve done. You were banished for a reason, Darkstripe. You’re lucky I was the only one who could recognize your scent under the rotting stench, if anyone else found you here, they would have torn your pelt off by now.”

“So… what is this then? Some sort of pity thing? Are you just here to see me because we’re half - brothers? Is that it?” Darkstripe snapped back. “Because if it is, you can just leave already. I don’t want or need your stupid pity.”

Graystripe stiffened at this. “I don’t have anything to pity you for. Everything that’s happened - you did it to yourself.” 

That was a partial lie, Graystripe knew, though he wouldn’t admit this. Truthfully, he did feel a pang of pity as he watched his sibling sobbing over the corpse of Tigerstar that day, desperately trying to wake him up. For a moment, it reminded him of the time he cried over the body of the dying Silverstream as she bled out on the riverbanks. It reminded him of how he would react if he ever lost Firestar. Even now, seeing his brother as a skinny, knotted husk, he could not help but feel sorry.

Darkstripe let out another huff of contempt. “I made the right choice when I followed Tigerstar. He was the only cat in this stardamned forest worth any respect. The rest could be torn to scraps for all I care.” He looked Graystripe in the eye, his grimace turning into a smirk. “Especially that orange kittypet ratnest you call a mate.”

The fur running along Graystripe’s back bristled up, but he forced it to lie flat. Darkstripe was clearly trying to get a rise out of the gray tom, and he would not give him the satisfaction of a reaction. 

“What about Longtail and Dustpelt? They were your best friends, even after Tigerstar left the clan. Do they mean nothing now?”

“Correct.” The dark cat replied. “They were cowards and traitors, just like everyone else. I’ll admit, it was foolish to trust them. They’re truly as worthless as the rest of Thunderclan.”

Graystripe searched the other tom’s eyes for a hint of insincerity, of remorse - but there was none. 

“What about your family? Your mother, your siblings? Have you abandoned them, too?” 'Have you abandoned me, after everything?' Graystripe added silently. Darkstripe drew another shallow breath, obviously about to give a similar answer, when Graystripe cut him off with a low growl.

“Yes, of course you have.” The gray tom snarled. “Sorrelkit was your - our - little sister. And yet, you didn’t even think twice about poisoning her to cover up your tracks. You just stood by and watched as she hacked up her own blood. If Cinderpelt and I hadn’t been there to save her in time, she would've died by your paws.”

Darkstripe didn’t reply, only staring back in contempt. His apathy only made Graystripe even more furious. “You were willing to let your family - your entire clan - die in the maws of those dogs to appease your precious Tigerstar.”

Graystripe leaned in closer, until he was only a whisker’s length from his brother. “And don’t think I don’t know about what you did at the Bonehill. You tried to murder Stonefur. In front of children.” His eyes narrowed even more. “My children.”

Darkstripe rolled his eyes. “Half - breeds are what they were. I still can’t believe my own kin would be all soft for an enemy clan cat, let alone frolic off to said clan because he got sad.” The rouge cat gave a snort of disdain. “It was all worth it in the end, anyway.”

“Was it, Darkstripe? Look at you. You’re alone, you're weak, and you’re hated. The worst part? You brought it on yourself. Longtail and Dustpelt changed. They realized their mistakes, and they got better. Now they’re respected, loved, happy… you could’ve been the same. But no, you decided to be an ass and dig your own grave. And for what? A cat that doesn’t even value your efforts?”

Darkstripe flinched for a second, it was clear the gray tom was starting to hit a nerve. “Tigerstar valued me.” He spat back.

“It doesn’t seem like it. He manipulated you, Darkstripe. He knew you loved him and used that to shape you into a pawn. And when you wouldn’t live up to his expectations, he tossed you aside in favor of someone better.”

Darkstripe fell silent. He gave his sibling a look of malice, with a lashing tail and claws scraping into the ground. Had he not been so weakened, Graystripe guessed he would’ve already been trying to tear his pelt off.

Graystripe sighed and sat back down, his anger depleted. “What… what happened to you? You used to be better than this.”

The dark gray cat did not reply, turning around and lying back down in his nest.

“When we were kids - Darkpaw and Graykit - you used to care about others. About me. You taught me how to pounce, played with me… defended me when my father tried to take me away to be a rouge with him.” Tears started to prick ever so slightly at Graystripe’s eyes with the memories, with him quickly blinking them away so the other cat wouldn’t notice. 

“I even saved you from the river during the forest fire because -” The gray tom swallowed the lump in his throat. “- because up until the Sorrelkit incident, I thought you could still change. I wanted to believe that Darkpaw, my real brother, was still in there somewhere. That if I just tried hard enough, I could bring him back. I wanted to believe that deep down, you were still the same cat from when we were kids.”

Darkstripe remained silent for a few heartbeats, then lifted his head, not turning to face the cat before him.

“Well, we’re not kids anymore. Tigerstar showed me the way, while you were stuck in sentimentality. Things change.”

Graystripe gave a defeated sigh and rose to his paws, eyes dejected to the ground. “Yeah…” He murmured “I guess they do…” He turned back toward the way he came, giving one last glace over his shoulder to his half - brother.

“I should be getting back to my clan now. We need to prepare for the battle against Bloodclan. …..Goodbye, Darkstripe” Graystripe lingered for a moment longer, waiting for a retort, or at least some kind of reaction from the rouge. When none came, he padded back through the gorse and out of sight.

'Good riddance' thought Darkstripe. Though now in the silence, he could hear a voice calling out from within him. The voice of a cat who once might have felt sorrow and guilt for what had happened. A cat that Darkstripe had buried away long, long ago. The voice called out a muffled cry of regret, of loneliness, of fear. 

Darkstripe snuffed the voice out once again as he curled into his nest and closed his eyes.

He didn’t need anyone.

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAND DONE! I finally posted my first fic! I wrote this over the weekend so sorry if it's a bit rushed lol
> 
> I would love to hear your critique on this, since it's the first story I've ever publicly posted, and I want to know what I did right and what I can do better. Also, if you have any ideas for future fics, be sure to tell me! 
> 
> Nova out


End file.
